This invention is generally directed to the implementation of a wiretap (a legally authorized interception of communications) and is more specifically directed to the use multicasting by a media gateway to facilitate wiretaps including, but not limited to, situations in which the wiretap party employs enhanced telephony services such as call forwarding.
The use of conventional wiretaps by law enforcement authorities is well-known. In its most basic form, a wiretap can be accomplished by a splice of a wire telephone line used by the wiretap party where the splice consists of a parallel telephone line connected to a telephone and/or recording device operated by law enforcement authorities. With the evolution of more sophisticated telephony equipment and services, providing facilities to accommodate a legally authorized interception of communications to and from a wiretap party has become increasingly difficult. For example, cellular telephone subscribers may place and receive telephone calls from different locations that are supported by different infrastructure equipment. Advanced call services such as three-way conferencing and call forwarding provide varied circumstances that need to be addressed to support a comprehensive wiretapping capability. Thus, there exists a need for improved wiretap support capability.